Apparatus for burning comminuted fuel



J. H. COOPER. APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMMINUTED FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1919.

Patented Apr. 18, 1922,

FATAW 1. H. COOPER. APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMMINU'TED FUEL.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 2, 1919. I

Patented Apr. 18, 1922.

3 SHtEIS-SHEET 2.

Patented Apr. 18', 1922.

3 SHhE I'SSHEET 3- i m m M J. H. COOPER. APPARATUS FOR BURNING COMIMINUTED FUEL. APPLICATION FILED APR. 7, 1919. 1,418,323.

UNITED m ss JOSEPH H. COOPER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

4 APPARATUS FOR BI IRNING COMMINUTED FUEL.

Original application filed July 20. 1918 Serial No. 245,802. Divided and this application flledhpril 7,

1919. Serial No. 288,006.

To all whom it may concern: Be it known that I, JosEP HfCooPnR, a

citizen of the United States, residing in Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Ilhnois, have invented certain new and useful- Improvements in Apparatus for Burning'CoIn'minuted Fuel, of which the follow- I ing'isa specification.

This invention relates to the burning of comminuted fuel and is'a division of my copending application Serial N 0. 245,802, filed July 20, 1918, Patent No. 1,397,266. It has forits primary object the provision of improved apparatus for burning comminuted fuel whereby the maximum heating efficiency of the fuel ma be procured; whereby the fire-box or ot-her re containing chamber employed may be protected from the gong;

,ing or blow-torch effect of aflame confined in a narrow path and traveling at hlgh velocity; wherebv all volatile matter may be gasified andall combustible matter burned fuel employed may be with great thoroughness mixed with the air necessary to support its combustion. A further object is the provision of a compact structure which may be economically manufactured and installed.

While the invention is adapted for the advantageous use of liquid fuel, it is more particularly intended for the consumption of pulverized fuels such as coal-dust.-

Other objectsj and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention.

' In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a vertical fragmentary section, taken approximately on line 1-1 of. Fig. 2, of a locomotive embodying the present invention-.

Fig. 2 is a section taken approximately on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 looking toward the front of the locomotive.

. Fi 4 is a section taken on line 4 4 of Fig. looking toward'the rear of the locomotive. I v

Supported in any-sultable manner (not shown) from the driving wheels 10 and 11 through the medium of a frame 13 are the locomotive fire-box and boiler illustrated in the drawings. The flame. flues for the boiler are shown at 14 projecting forwardly from the flue sheet 15' at the front end of the fire-box and within the boiler shell shown at 16. The crown sheet of the fire-box is in- (heated at 17, the bottom sheet at 18 and the back sheet at 19. The lower edges of the boiler shell 16 about the fire-box are secured against the outer surface of the mud ring 20 as are alsothe lower edges of the flue sheet 15, back sheet 19, and side sheets 21 of the fire-box. Preferably the bottom sheet 18 of the fire-box-is considerably below the mud ring 20 and is connected thereto by up 'wardly' and outwardly slanting sheets 22.

the fire-box and their upper edges decline toward the forward end of the fire-box. These sheets join the horizontal bottom Specification of Letters Patent. Patented- A 18" 1922 sheet 18'with'the backwardly and upwardly slanting mud ring 20. At the rear ofthe fire-box a cinder hopper 24 having anormally closed door 25 is secured below the bottom sheet 18 and receives granulated slag from the fire-box through an aperture 26.

.The bottom of the fire-box is interiorly sheathed with fire brick 27 up to approximately the planev of the upper surface of the mud ring 20, one'of the objects of the present invention being that the flame developed can be safely permitted to strike directly against the sheets of the fire-box which are in contact on their opposite sides with the water and the steam in the boiler. The heating efficiency of the fuel burned is thereby increased in as much as there is no thick layer of fire brick interposed between the flame and the water contacting sheets of the firebox, and the heating of the water is facilitated. In central'position in the front wall of the fire-box and at the bottom thereof an aperture 28 for injection of fuel .is' formed, and a mixer casting '29 is bolted in any suitable manner to the mud ring 20 and bottom sheet 18 and has its horizontal mixing chamber 31 alined and in communication with aperture-. 28. Fuel feed pipe 32 conveys comminuted fuel-suspended in air from the tender (not shown) along the. exterior of the fire-box and across the front thereof to a point above the mixing chamber wardly into themixing chamber near the forward end thereof through anaperture 33 formed in its upper wall. In practice the amount of air employed in pipe 32 to convey the comminuted fuel from th'etender to the mixing chamber is insufficient for complete combustion of the fuel. A portion of the additional air necessary is conveyed through hot air flues 34 formed by securing'an angular'strip of steel horizontally to the exterior of the slanting bottom walls 22, through an aperture 35 extending upwardly through the bottom wall of the mixing chamber 31 opposite aperture 33. Preferably the forward wall of aperture 35 stands slightly forward of the forward wall of aperture 33. "The rear ends of hot air flues 34 are each closed by a controlling door 36 hinged as at 37 to the bottom sheets 22. The remaining air additional for proper combustion is furnished cold to the mixing chamber 31 from a rotary fan 40 and a cold air pipe 38 through a cold, air injector 39 fitting ithe forward end of'the casting 29 and having-its rear face preferably flush with the forward wall of aperture 33 and positioned consequently above the center of aperture 35; the rear tip of the injector 39 is also'sp'aced slightly above-the bottom wall of mixing chamber 31 in order that the cold air from.

fan 40 may, on the injector principle,'-draw hot air throu h flues 34 and aperture 35. In

plied through mixing chamber'31 may-initially substantially fillthe narrow bottom portion'of the fire-box between the lower edges of sheets 22 and 23,-the mixing chamher is in cross section an elongated rectangle having its greatest dimension horizontal, and the cold air feed openingof injector 39 is similarly shaped and positioned in cross section, while at the same time aperture 35 is substantially co-extensive from left to right with the width of the mixing chamber and the aperture 33 is centrally positioned in the top wall of the mixing chamber but is considerably shorter than a erture 35. It

will be seen that the hot air drawn from fiues 34 is introduced upwardly into the bottom of the mixing chamber 31; that the fuel laden air from pipe 32 is introduced into the top of the mixing chamber throughran aperture shorter than that for the hot air,

the fuel being heavier than air, having-a normal tendency to sink. The streams of fuel laden air and hot air are so positioned therefore that advantage is taken of their physical characteristics, the one to sink and the other to rise, in order that the. best pos-' sible, mixtureof these two currents may result. The hot air intake aperture being I longer than that for the fuel, the hot air e nvelopes the incoming fuel just as the two streams of air enter the mixing chamber.

It will also be noted that the necessary cold air is fed into the mixing chamber between the opposite apertures 33 and 35, and at right angles to the direction of the flow of hot air and fuel entering the mixing chamber. The cold air from fan 40 is introduced at a comparatively low velocity in order to eliminate a blow torch effect of the flame upon the interior of the fire box, but its velocity is sufficient to draw ,hot air through fiues 34 and to violently agitate the mixture of hot air and fuel constantly formed at the forward end of the mixing chamber. The draft of fuel laden air through pipe 32 is purposely of low velocity, it being understood that the normal draft induced in every locomotive by reason of the exhaust from the cylinders (not shown) is present in the fire-box. The velocities with which the fuel laden air and the cold air enter the mixing chamber may of course be varied by control of the draft through pipe 32 by any of the ordinary means (not shown) and by increasing or decreasing the speed of rotation of fan 40. These fluctuations will be made in accordance with the requirements of conditions, but the draft induced through the fire-box will at all times be sluggish and in accordance with the short flame principle of consumption of comminuted fuel as distinguished from the violent draft provided on the long flame combustion principle in such constructions as are employed in cement .order thatt e cloud of fuel and air sup kilns and the like, where a narrow path of production of a continuous but attenuated flame inthe fire-box through which such a relatively sluggish draft passes as has just been'mentioned. Inorder to give the flame along path of travel through the fire-box, the fuel is injected only at the forward end of the fire-box in the present invention and passes from mixing chamber 31.- through aperture 28 and along the fire brick covering the bottom sheet 18 to the rear wall of the fire-box.v Here it is turnedforwardly and upwardly by a baffle arch 41 of fire brick traversing the rear portion of the firebox from side to side, slanting forwardly and upwardly a comparatively short distance therein, and spaced above the bottom of the fire-box a suflicient distance to permit the combustible mixture already kindled to ento! between it and the bottom of the box, and

44 that enters the arch preferably through the back sheet 19 of the fire-box. The effect of the steam sheet sprayed through aperture 42 is three-fold; it changes the direc-' tion ofthe flame to one substantiallyhorizontal, gives added impetus to the flame to project it 7 against the flue sheet 15, and also spreads the flame horizontally across the whole area of-the fire-box and against the side sheets 21'. Under the influence of this steam sheet the flame strikes the flue sheet at a-point indi- .cated by numeral 45, being substantially horizontal opposite the forward edge of the baffle arch 41. From a position on the flue sheet just above the area indicated at' 45, a smoke arch 46,1supported on the customary arch tubes 47, projects back'wardly and upwardly through the fire-box in order to deflect the flame ibackwardly before permitv ting it to pass to the flues 14 the rear openings of all of which lie above the bottom of this arch 46. By introducing the flame at the forward'end of the fire-box and the bottom thereof'and deflecting it three times as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1, I so in-'. crease its lengthas to allow time during'its passage for the vaporization of all volatile matter, thecomplete burning of all combustible matter, and also the granulation of the large quantity of liquid slag formed from the flame and which heretofore has in most instances been projected in liquid formagainst the flue sheet and into the flues, necessitating very frequently the cleaning off of the slag thus plastered on the flues'and flue sheet. .A large portion of the granulated slag will drop to the bottom of the fire box and be swept backwardly therein by the blast from the mixing chamber and will fallv through'aperture 26 into the cinder'hop'pe'r 24. The remaining portion will be blown ascinders through the flue'14 and projected from the stack in cases where this-invention is applied to locomotives. drawn to the fact that the. backward sweep of incoming fuel along the bottom of the fire-box constantly removes the granular slag formed.. The attenuation'of the flame, combined with the action of the steam sheet in'spreading the flame throughout the fireand the elimination of a large area of fire box and against the side sheets,'-greatly increases the area of contact between the flame and the side sheets; the result is of course a better heating of the water in the boiler, and the fire-box sheets themselves are longerlived because of this distribution of the flame over a larger area and also because of the sluggishness of the draft, the consequent absence of any gouging efl'ec't from the flame,

brick from the lower portions .of the firebox sheets thus made permissible. It will be further seen that the cloud of fuel projected from the mixing chamber is not one Attention is interiorlytoo rich fuel and having only about its exterior sufficient additional air for proper combustion, but is one in which sufiicientair for combustion is thoroughly mixed with the fuel laden air through the .cloud so that each fine particle of fuel is surrounded by an envelope of air suflicient for its complete combustion'and the whole cloud of air permeated and well heated by the thorough mixture within it of the hot alr drawn through the flues 34. The firebox istight, and suflicient air for the proper combustion of the fuel admitted is constantly supplied with the fuel through'the mixing chamber. Features of great utility result from this method in combination with the length and sluggishness of the flame.

One of these advantages isthe reduction of the amount of smoke emitted from the firebox as.th'e result of complete combustion,,

the oxygen being highly heated in the firebox and combining perfectly with the carbon in the fuel, thus eliminating the formationof CO; a further advantage lies inthe fact that a locomotive or other heating plant equipped with the apparatus of this invention and operating in accordance withits method,-does not throw out partly burned right ofway or in the locality of the heating plant; whatever hot cinders are emitted from the fire-box are composed of non-combustible, non-volatile matter, are rapidly cooled in'the outer air, and contain no unconsumed carbon whereby their kindling heat could be maintained after they have dropped to the. ground.

Under varying conditions of steam pressure and grade of fuel, it will at times be cinders the combustion of which is continued on roofs and in fields where such cinders fall, setting fire to objects along the railroad tapered steam nozzle51, the latter being adjustable by any suitable means (not shown) so that it may be moved axially of mouth 50 to increase or decrease the amount of air entering pipes 44 and 43 by the injector effect of the steam from the nozzle; or the nozzle 51 may be inserted until it contacts with the smaller end of mouth 50, so that the ingress of air is prevented and pure steam I projected iii-a sheet from slot 42 instead of a mixture of steam I claim: 1. The combination with a fire-box, of

and air.

a mixing chamber positioned to direct a flame backwardly along the bottom thereof, a baflie arch for deflecting said flame forwardly and upwardly, and asmoke arch positioned to receive the flame directed from the baffle arch and to deflect the flame up-.

means for projecting forwardly a sheet of.

steam from the front edge of said baffle arch, and a smoke arch positioned above the level of said baflle arch and projecting upwardly and backwardly from the front wall of the fire-box, there being outlet apertures for flame and heated gases in the upper portion of the forward wall of the fire-box. 3. The combination with a fire-box, of means for projecting a flame backwardly along the bottom of the fire-box, a device at the rear of the fire-box for deflecting said flame forwardly and upwardly, app ra- 25 tus for directing said flame forwardly and substantially horizontally from said device against the front wall of the fire-box, and an arch positioned against the front wall of the fire-box to deflect the flame upwardly and backwardly, said arch terminating short of the crown and back sheets of the fire-box, there being outlet apertures for the flame and heated gases therefrom provided in lilhe front wall of the fire-box above said are 4. The combination with a fire-box, having flue apertures in the upper portion of its forward wall, of means for projecting a flame backwardly in the lower portion of the fire-box, a baffle arch projecting forwardly and upwardly from the rear wall of the fire-box, a longitudinally slotted steam conduit substantially co-extensive wlth the forward edge of said baffle arch, the slot of said pipe being positioned to direct steam forwardly and'slightly downwardly from the front edge of said arch, and a smoke arch extending from a posit1on below said flue apertures in the forward lgvall backwardly and upwardly into the fireox. 1 5. The combination with a fire-box, havlng flue apertures in the upper portion of its forward wall, of means for projecting a flame backwardly through the lower portion of the fire-box, a bafiie arch projecting forwardly and upwardly into the fire-boxfrom the rear wall thereof, means spaced forwardly of the back wall of the fire-box and associated with said bafile arch for projecting a sheet of steam forwardly and downwardly from the baffle arch, and a smoke arch projecting into the fire-box from a position on the forward wall thereof below saidfiue f apertures.

6. The combination with a fire-box, having flue apertures in the upper portion of its forward wall, of means for, projecting a flamebackwardly through the lower portion of the fire-box, a baflie arch projecting forwardly and upwardly into the fire-box from the rear wall thereof, means spaced forwardly of the back wall of the fire-box and associated with said baffle arch for projecting a sheet of steam forwardly and downwardly, a smoke arch pro ecting into the fire-box from a position on the forward wall thereof below said flue apertures, a mud ring surrounding the exterior of the fire-box near the bottom thereof and to the inner surface of which the vertical walls of the fire-box are secured, a boiler shell comprising steel plates secured to the outer surface ofjsaid mudring, and a fire brick lining covering the bottom of the fire-box and extending upwardly along the vertical walls thereof only to a plane substantially concident with that of the upper surface of said mud ring.

7. The combination with a fire-box of a casting-defining a horizontal mixing chamber at the forward end of said fire box, a source of fuel supplydischarging downwardly into said mixing chamber near the forward end thereof, a source of supply of hot air opening oppositely into the bottom of said mixing chamber, and an' injector for directing cold air backwardly from the front wall of the mixing chamber and against the opposed currents of fuel and hot air.

' 8. The combination with a fire box of a device defining a substantially horizontal mixing chamber at the forward end thereof, there being a short transverse fuel aperture provided in the upper wall of said 105 chamber near the forward end thereof and an oppositely positioned longer hot air aper ture provided in the lower wall ofsaid chamber, a source of fuel supply communicating with said fuel aperture, a source of supply 110 of hot air communicating with said hot air aperture, and means for projecting a draft of cold air horizontally across said apertures from the forward wall of the mixing chamber.

9. The combination with a fire box of a device defining a substantially horizontal mixing chamber, there being a short transverse fuel aperture provided in the upper wall of said chamber near the forward end 120 thereof and an oppositely positioned longer hot air aperture provided in the lower wall of said chamber, a source of supply of fuel communicating with said fuel aperture, a

source of supply of hot air at atmospheric pressure communicating with said hot air aperture, the forward wall of said hot air, aperture being ositioned forwardly of the forward wall of said fuel aperture, and an I injector positioned in the forward wall of 139 the mixing. chamber toproject a draft of cold air backwa'rdly, the rear ti of said injector being positioned substantially flush in a vertical plane with the forward wall of the fuel aperture and slightly back of the forward wall of the hot air aperture. I

10. The combination with a fire box having a substantially horizontal aperture in the bottom of its front wall, of a casting defining a mixing chamber alined with said aperture and provided at its bottom with a hot air aperture, said aperture being cut vertically in the bottom wall of the mixing chamber, and the casting being provided with a fuel inlet in its upper'wall opposite said hot air aperture,vthe casting being se- Y cured against said fire box, a sheet metal flue on each side of the fire box against the outer surface of the wall thereof, gates for controlling the passage of air through of the casting. v

. JOSEPH H. COOPER. 

